Animal Health Foundation Blog

Chicken Dog Treats Made in China Now Linked to 900 Complaints

By JoNel Aleccia for VITALS at msnbc.com

Nearly 1,000 dogs reportedly have been sickened by chicken jerky pet treats from China, according to a new tally of complaints from worried owners and veterinarians submitted to federal health officials.

The Food and Drug Administration has logged some 900 reports of illnesses and deaths since November, when it warned owners about continued problems with the products known variously as chicken jerky strips, treats and nuggets, a spokeswoman said.

Back then, the agency already had heard from 70 owners about problems ranging from vomiting and diarrhea to kidney failure and other serious ailments after animals reportedly consumed the treats.

Since then, complaints have mounted steadily, putting growing pressure on the FDA to solve the problem.

Despite repeated tests since 2007, FDA scientists have been unable to detect any toxin responsible for the animal illnesses, officials said. The agency has asked certain pet owners to send in samples of suspect treats along with their animals’ veterinary records.

Three top brands of chicken jerky treats were among those most recently cited by pet owners and veterinarians in complaints of harm, FDA records obtained by msnbc.com showed. They included Waggin’ Train and Canyon Creek Ranch brands produced by Nestle Purina PetCare Co., and Milo’s Kitchen Home-style Dog Treats, produced by the Del Monte Corp.

We had a corgi that died from eating Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Treats. He died of accute liver failure. We were devestated. We thought the chicken Jerky was good. I will never feed any more China treats!!

I lost my baby girl Lucy after she ate chicken treat she was only 7 years old! I still cry everyday. We AWARE pet owners!! Read the label do not feed your dog ANY treats from China! From now on it’s Pupperoni and milk bones only for my dogs. Watch raw hides also don’t feed them the triple flavored ones from China!

I haven’t heard anything about “Happy Heart”, but don’t feed anything – especially chicken – that is sourced in China. To keep up to date on the subject and to further check go to: http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com

I just found out that my dog is diabetic. She is a small dog. Right now she is on 2 insulin shots a day…small doses. Would it be ok to give her Veggie Valley Happy Hips with chicken and apple as a treat ?

greenbriar kennel club rawhide knotted bones 2.75 inches. i want to refer that the package reads on its cover that you must wash your hands after touching the bones and explains there is radiation in them. can you explain how is it possible that ithe bones can be given a dog. I bought the package at a dollar tree stores it cost jme one dollar for four little bones. do you consider that brand reliable. please answer me. thank you so mucho

I still feel guilty that I lost my loving companion, BacPac, in 2012 and one of her, seemingly, treats was Waggin’ Train Chicken Strips. She passed after a very sad fight against kidney failure. DO NOT FEED YOUR PET WAGGIN’ TRAIN CHICKEN.

All dog owners please stop and think. one reply above says wash hands after touching this bone. Really, it should be in the trash 2 seconds later! How bout teaching your dogs to relish veggies, real food. my B. collie loves green beans, carrots, cauliflower and almost anything else that is safe to feed him. He doesn’t know that it’s not store bought chemicals! and his weght is perfect.

Hi, glad your selecting better foods for your pets… but, are those veggie’s all organic? Even our human foods are full of toxins, like pesticides, or they could even be GMO’s Genetically modified like soy and corn in the USA. It’s sad, but true… the FDA, what does it really do??? Good luck!

We are not able to keep as up to date on this topic as some other websites which are listed below. We have seen a list of “do not use” from veterinarians which include Bill Jac. For future reference, we suggest that you know that the treat’s protein SOURCE is the USA AND that they are made in the USA. One other way to be sure is to use a different protein source OTHER THAN chicken (veal, bison, duck, etc.)

My dogs will only eat chicken flavor, duck flavor, or sweet potato. The brand is Nudges. The children and the duck are the soft jerry treats. The sweet potato is Dream Bone . But I noticed that they come from Cina. (Only the Dream Bone) Should I be concerned

We thought we were buying our dog healthy treats and they almost killed her. It sent her liver enzymes through the roof and she was never the same again her liver was too damaged and she was a sick dog for the rest of her life until she died or assumed liver disease.

I have been giving my poodle Lovin Tenders chicken and sweet potatoes treats. did not know they are from China. we had to rush her to the emergency Vet last night with seizures, vomiting and other symptoms!! he said it was some sort of toxin poisoning. if I had read this a long time ago,I may not have a sick dog!!

We are very sorry to hear about your dog….stay away from Chicken since that’s where most of the issues are. But, in addition, make sure the source of the protein is in the USA, not just where they are manufactured. Never buy any food or treats from a grocery store, WalMart, etc. And, we keep touch with http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com and http://www.dogfoodadvisors.com for the best updates and information.